Yolanda Saldívar was sentenced to life in jail for the 1995 capturing loss of life of her former buddy, pop icon Selena Quintanilla.
As soon as the president of Quintanilla’s fan membership, Saldívar’s relationship with the “I May Fall in Love” singer soured in early 1995. Selena’s father, Abraham Quintanilla, and their enterprise associates found that Saldívar had allegedly embezzled 1000’s of {dollars} from each her fan membership and the household’s Corpus Christie, Texas, boutique.
The dispute led to a lethal showdown between the 2 girls on March 31, 1995, the place Saldívar shot Selena in her resort room. Saldívar was charged with first-degree homicide and, regardless of her insistence that the capturing was unintended, was convicted in October 1995.
The life and tragic loss of life of “The Queen of Tejano Music” is explored in Netflix’s 2025 documentary Selena y Los Dinos, produced by her kin Suzette Quintanilla and A.B. Quintanilla III.
Almost 27 years after Selena hit theaters in March 1997, Jon Seda continues to be friends with Chris Pérez, whom he portrayed within the biographical movie. “I’m nonetheless buddies with Chris. Chris is simply a tremendous guitarist and he’s nonetheless on the market making his music. Take a look at his music, it’s unbelievable,” Seda, 53, solely advised Us […]
Hold scrolling for extra info on the capturing — and the place Saldívar is right now.
Who Is Yolanda Saldivar?
Yolanda Saldívar was born in San Antonio, Texas, on September 19, 1960.
As a lifelong fan of nation music, Saldívar grew to become enthusiastic about tejano music after seeing Selena Quintanilla in live performance. She satisfied Selena and her father, Abraham Quintanilla, to let her begin a fanclub for the musician.
The fanclub proved to be so profitable that the Quintanillas employed Saldívar to handle their Corpus Christie, Texas, boutique, Selena And so on, in 1994.
By early 1995, Saldívar was eliminated as president of Selena’s fanclub and fired from the boutique after the Quintanillas found that she’d stolen 1000’s of {dollars} from each organizations.
Saldívar was decided to redeem herself in Selena’s eyes, although she developed a violent fixation along with her on the identical time.
Within the days earlier than the capturing, Saldívar bought a Taurus Mannequin 85 .38-caliber revolver from San Antonio gun vary A Place to Shoot. She later returned the weapon earlier than buying it a second time.
On March 30, 1995, Saldívar checked into the Days Inn in Corpus Christie. From her resort room, she contacted Selena and claimed that she’d been raped.
Yolanda Saldivar TDCJ / MEGA
Selena agreed to fulfill with Saldívar in her resort room so her former buddy might flip over essential monetary paperwork. After the assembly, Selena found that Saldívar had not given her the right varieties.
The musician consented to fulfill with Saldívar as soon as once more on March 31, 1995, to retrieve the right paperwork. At this second assembly, Selena agreed to drive Saldívar to Medical doctors Regional Hospital so she might endure a rape examination — although the pair had been later knowledgeable that the examination must be administered elsewhere.
As soon as they returned to the Days Inn motel, Saldívar once more requested Saldívar to show over monetary data. Saldívar then pulled out her revolver and shot Selena in her decrease proper shoulder.
A gravely wounded Selena fled from the resort room to hunt medical assist. Selena was rushed to Corpus Christi Memorial Hospital however she was pronounced useless at round 1:05 p.m. native time.
Was Yolanda Saldivar Convicted of Killing Selena Quintanilla?
Sure, Saldívar was convicted of first-degree homicide in October 1995.
Saldívar initially tried to flee the Days Inn car parking zone after the capturing on March 31, 1995, however authorities quickly arrived on the scene. Saldívar refused to give up and engaged federal brokers in a close to 10-hour stand off.
When she was lastly apprehended, Saldívar was charged with first-degree homicide. Saldívar pleaded not responsible and insisted the capturing was unintended, claiming she supposed to kill herself, not Selena.
Saldívar was convicted in October 1995 and sentenced to life imprisonment. She was given the chance to use for parole after 30 years behind bars.
Will Yolanda Saldivar Get Out of Jail?
As of November 2025, Saldívar has not been launched from custody. Saldívar has served her sentence at a girls’s jail in Gatesville, Texas.
Us Weekly confirmed in December 2024 that Saldívar formally requested for parole because the thirtieth anniversary of her imprisonment approached. A Texas Division of Felony Justice official advised the New York Put up that Saldívar had a clear file heading into the parole course of.
In March 2025, the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles confirmed by way of an announcement obtained by Us that Saldívar’s request for parole had been denied after a evaluation by “a parole panel of three.” The assertion clarified that the parole determination was made after an examination of “court docket paperwork, offense stories, help/protest info, felony historical past, institutional adjustment and data/statements offered by the offender.”
“It was the parole panel’s willpower to disclaim parole to Yolanda Saldívar and set her subsequent parole evaluation for March 2030,” the board confirmed.
Selena’s household launched an announcement saying they had been “grateful” that the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles declined to launch Saldívar.
“Whereas nothing can deliver Selena again, this determination reaffirms that justice continues to face for the attractive life that was taken from us and from thousands and thousands of followers around the globe far too quickly,” the Quintanillas stated by way of Instagram. “Selena’s legacy is considered one of love, music, and inspiration. She lived with pleasure, gave selflessly, and continues to uplift generations along with her voice and her spirit.”
Their assertion went on, “As her household and family members, we stay dedicated to preserving her reminiscence and making certain that her story is honored with the dignity and respect it deserves. We thank Selena’s followers for his or her unwavering help all through the years. Your love has been a supply of energy and therapeutic. We are going to proceed to have a good time Selena’s life – not the tragedy that took her from us — and we ask that each one who cherish her do the identical.”
Saldívar stays in jail as of publication.
What Has Yolanda Saldivar Mentioned About Taking pictures Selena Quintanilla?
Saldívar has repeatedly denied that she supposed to kill Selena.
“[The media] made me out to be a monster, and I simply wish to say, I didn’t kill Selena,” Saldívar insisted in an interview with 20/20 in 1995. “It was an accident, and my conscience is obvious.”
In 2024, Saldívar gave an interview for Oxygen’s documentary Selena & Yolanda: The Secrets and techniques Between Them, the place she reiterated that the capturing was unintended. She additionally alleged that she’d protected Selena from her father, Abraham, who she accused of making an attempt to regulate the artist’s private {and professional} life.
“He wished to regulate her time. He wished to regulate her whereabouts,” she alleged. “[Selena] was not going to have none of that.”
Saldívar alleged that Abraham pressured her to secretly share particulars about Selena’s every day life with him.
“I couldn’t inform him as a result of I used to be extra loyal to her than him,” Abraham stated. “After I wouldn’t [tell him], anger began coming my method.”
Abraham blasted the documentary in an announcement to TMZ, wherein he denied the allegations and advised that Saldívar’s new claims had been all lies.
